I think you're sorely mistaken on their rivalry, even disingenuous to a point.

But I think we've said about as much as we need to. I think we can agree on one thing, a heat loss would be quite amusing. Lebron looks like he' truely on a mission. Who knows. This is going to be a great series.

Too much versatility by the Thunder for the Heat to win, I think. OKC can beat you in so many ways. Plus, OKC has the homecourt advantage, which is huge. Miami has pathetic excuses for fans on their home court.

You really think the Lakers would have been better off keeping Fisher? Or that they would've played deeper in the playoffs with him?

He's 37 and they obviously needed to get younger at the PG position. Great team leader and teammate but it was time for him to move on. He's a much better fit on OKC as a mentor to the younger players.

You really think the Lakers would have been better off keeping Fisher? Or that they would've played deeper in the playoffs with him?

He's 37 and they obviously needed to get younger at the PG position. Great team leader and teammate but it was time for him to move on. He's a much better fit on OKC as a mentor to the younger players.

Would have definitely been better off. They should have brought Fish off the bench instead of Blake. He's better than Blake.

Remember the shot at the end of game 2 against OKC in game 2? Blake missed it. I bet Fish would have knocked it down.

Hate to admit it...but Lebron earned it. He dominated the series against OKC. A triple double in the series clinching win?? That's big time.

No telling how good he can be now that he has the monkey off his back. He might go on a Jordan-esque titles run over the next 5-6 seasons. When he switches to power foward in a few years, he'll average 12-14 rebounds a game, easy.

i have a feeling your 9ers will come back down to earth causing you to skip most of the season

E

It sounds silly, because it is silly. It's a debate I would have had in middle school. I don't care one iota whether you are a Steeler fan or a "sports" fan.

As I'm sure I've said on the board, I'm a Laker fan more than an NBA fan. I follow the NFL much more closely when I'm playing FF, but I'm still on vacation from FF, so the primary thing I care about this offseason is what my Niners are doing. And they are doing good things.

I didn't skip the Super Bowl. Just the first half. I watched the second half. Stuck in a hotel room. Didn't care about either team, or who won, etc.

I did "skip" the NBA Finals, because I didn't have access to a TV. Glad I missed them anyway.

I have a feeling my Niners will have a great season. Very excited for the season to start. And if I don't watch anything other than Niner games, I'll be just fine.

Jordan told The Associated Press Thursday that he laughed -- "I absolutely laughed" -- when hearing Bryant's comments that the U.S. squad training in Las Vegas could take Jordan and company.

Jordan said there's "no comparison" which team is better.

"For him to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done," Jordan said prior to playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Charlotte.

Jordan said the 1992 team, which included 11 future Hall of Famers and won its six Olympic games by an average of more than 43 points en route to capturing the gold medal, was a better overall team largely because of the experience it put on the floor.

"I heard Kobe say we were not athletic," said a smiling Jordan as he sat in a golf cart puffing on his cigar while waiting to tee off. "But we were smart. He said we were too old, but I was 29 and in the prime of my career. Pip (Scottie Pippen) was 26 or 27, (Charles) Barkley was 29, Patrick (Ewing) was 29 and Chris Mullin was 29. Almost everybody was still in their 20s."

Jordan's response came after Bryant told reporters in Las Vegas that this year's team could pull out a win against the Dream Team if they faced each other in their primes. Bryant said this year's team has a "bunch of racehorses, players who are incredibly athletic, while the Dream Team consisted mainly of players at the tail end of their careers."

 For him to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done.

 -- Michael Jordan, reacting to Kobe Bryant's "Dream Team" comments.

Bryant's comments received immediate and sharp rebuttal from some members of the Dream Team, including Barkley.

Jordan joined in on Thursday.

"Most of us were in the prime of our careers, at a point where athleticism doesn't really matter," said Jordan, the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. "You have to know how to play the game."

Jordan shook his head when asked why he thinks Bryant made the comments.

"I imagine he's trying to say it to legitimize his own Dream Team," Jordan said. "But to me it's not even a question what team is better."

Jordan said Bryant is certainly entitled to his opinion -- even though he said it's just plain wrong.

"For him to make that comparison, it's one of those things where it creates conversation," Jordan said. "I guess we'll never know. I'd like to think that we had 11 Hall of Famers on that team, and whenever they get 11 Hall of Famers, you call and ask me who had the better Dream Team. Remember now, they learned from us. We didn't learn from them."

LeBron James has joined Kobe Bryant in saying that he believes this year's Team USA Olympic men's basketball team could beat the 1992 Dream Team.

Days before the current U.S. squad takes the court in London, James made his boast in a recent television interview.

The '92 Dream Team paved the way for all of us... We understand what they did for our game, but we also are big-time competitors as well, so if we got the opportunity to play them in a game we feel like we would win, too. -- LeBron James.

"As a competitor you never want to say that you will lose, no matter who you are going against," James told ABC News "Nightline" anchor Cynthia McFadden.

James did express his respect to the iconic 1992 team, which was led by Michael Jordan and included 11 future Hall of Famers. That team won its six Olympic games by an average of more than 43 points en route to capturing the gold medal in Barcelona.

"The '92 Dream Team paved the way for all of us ... We understand what they did for our game, but we also are big-time competitors as well, so if we got the opportunity to play them in a game we feel like we would win, too," James said.

James' comments echoed those of Bryant, who two weeks ago made a similar proclamation.

"It would be a tough one, but I think we would pull it out," Bryant said at a news conference. "People who think we can't beat that team for one game, they are crazy. To sit there and say we can't, it's ludicrous. We can beat them one time."

Bryant's comments received immediate and sharp rebuttal from some members of the Dream Team. Jordan told The Associated Press he laughed when he heard of Bryant's comments.

"For him to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done," Jordan said.

Even President Barack Obama weighed in on the topic.

"This is a generational thing," Obama said during a halftime interview with ESPN2 as it broadcast an exhibition game between the U.S. and Brazil earlier this month. "I was around in '92, I was a Bulls fan, so I've got to go with the original Dream Team."

I think firing Mike Brown was the right thing to do, but I don't like the D'Antoni hiring over Phil. D'Antoni may bring "show time" back to LA, but Phil brings championships. D'Antoni will have to make a believer out of me.

I think firing Mike Brown was the right thing to do, but I don't like the D'Antoni hiring over Phil. D'Antoni may bring "show time" back to LA, but Phil brings championships. D'Antoni will have to make a believer out of me.

Dwight Howard doesn't have a post game to compliment Jackson's coaching style. And the Lakers doesn't have the perimeter shooting to compliment D'Antoni's style. This is not the same Steve Nash now that was playing under D'Antoni. He's 38. Still a good player but a lot older.

I see either hiring as a loss, no matter what. Especially since Jackson was going to be sitting out road games for health reasons, if he was hired. That's not really being 100% committed.

Dwight Howard doesn't have a post game to compliment Jackson's coaching style. And the Lakers doesn't have the perimeter shooting to compliment D'Antoni's style. This is not the same Steve Nash now that was playing under D'Antoni. He's 38. Still a good player but a lot older.

I see either hiring as a loss, no matter what. Especially since Jackson was going to be sitting out road games for health reasons, if he was hired. That's not really being 100% committed.

Sitting out road games was an unconfirmed rumor that has since been denied by the Lakers.

Howard would have done fine in the triangle. If you think about it, Shaq's post game wasn't that varied. His best low post move was just dunking on people. Yes he had a little baby hook and great feet, but outside of five feet or so he was pretty limited.

I agree about the lack of perimeter shooting, although the pick-and-roll part of D'Antoni's offense is definitely something Howard and Nash can run.

But I still think Phil should have been the pick. We'll see how this pans out.